Don Thompson, CEO, McDonald's

Don Thompson, CEO, McDonald's

Don Thompson has been promoted to chief executive of McDonald's Corp. He will succeed Jim Skinner, who is retiring this summer, and oversee the company and its more than 33,000 McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries. Thompson has been president and chief operating officer, directing global strategy for the fast-food chain, since 2010. Before that, he was U.S. president, responsible for the strategic direction and overall business results of the nearly 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. He joined McDonald's as an electrical engineer in 1990. He started his career as an engineer specialist in defense systems for Northrop Corp. Thompson has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Purdue University.

Don Thompson has been promoted to chief executive of McDonald's Corp. He will succeed Jim Skinner, who is retiring this summer, and oversee the company and its more than 33,000 McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries. Thompson has been president and chief operating officer, directing global strategy for the fast-food chain, since 2010. Before that, he was U.S. president, responsible for the strategic direction and overall business results of the nearly 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. He joined McDonald's as an electrical engineer in 1990. He started his career as an engineer specialist in defense systems for Northrop Corp. Thompson has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Purdue University.

Don Thompson has been promoted to chief executive of McDonald's Corp. He will succeed Jim Skinner, who is retiring this summer, and oversee the company and its more than 33,000 McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries. Thompson has been president and chief operating officer, directing global strategy for the fast-food chain, since 2010. Before that, he was U.S. president, responsible for the strategic direction and overall business results of the nearly 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. He joined McDonald's as an electrical engineer in 1990. He started his career as an engineer specialist in defense systems for Northrop Corp. Thompson has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Purdue University.